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Wallabies look to be "more attacking" against AllBlacks

James Mortimer 20 Aug 2012 Getty Images

New Wallabies captain Will Genia has called for an under pressure backline to deliver the goods when they play the World Champion All Blacks.

Australia, with a rear division that has looked the goods when the play all-out attack, will wait on whether or not Quade Cooper comes into the team, with some suggesting he could play at number ten, with Berrick Barnes shifted to second five-eighth.

Genia has captained his country before, leading the Wallabies to a win over America in the Rugby World Cup, while he has worn the armband for the Reds, notably during their Investec Super Rugby title winning year.

Again he has been arguably their greatest threat, going back-to-back as Queensland's best player this year, and again showed at stages his threat against the All Blacks in Sydney.

A more pragmatic Wallabies team has scored six tries in their last five tests, and the brash running game that has troubled even the All Blacks, but it has been the world's number one team that has run the try scoring charts so far this season.

On top of another year of leading the international try scoring charts in 2011 with 60 five pointers, the All Blacks have kicked off their campaign, first against Ireland in the Steinlager Series, and now in the first match against the Wallabies, with 17 tries in their first four tests of 2012.

However Genia told AAP that he needed the troops outside him to stand up more and threaten the All Blacks.

"I think we can look to be a little bit more attacking with ball in hand as a backline," Genia said.

"I think we were a little bit passive and probably relied a little bit too much on the forwards to shoulder a lot of the work."

"So if we can get the ball in the backs' hands a little bit more and have a little bit more thrust, I think that will stand us in good stead."

Genia also said that the team was prepared to undergo some serious soul searching heading to Eden Park, where the Wallabies haven't won since 1986, while the All Blacks are unbeaten stretching back to 1994.

"I think that's the biggest thing about this week, we're going to be hard on ourselves and not look for the soft options," Genia said.

"We'll go away and work on the things we need to work on and really get the mindset right leading into this game."